Bermudian university student William Welch has been hired by engineering company iEPC as an intern.

The internship is part of Mr Welch’s engineering programme at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, where he is a first-year student in the school’s mechanical engineering programme.

Mr Welch attended classes virtually from Bermuda during the autumn term due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Having completed his first term in December, he is now working at iEPC as part of his co-op work term requirements.

The university’s co-op programme entails studying for one term, and completing a work internship during the next. There are six co-op terms during the programme, approximating two years of work experience along with a four-year honours degree.

Mr Welch said he heard about the iEPC internship from a family friend, adding: “The friend introduced me to an engineer at iEPC. We connected and I was introduced to other engineers and interviewed. I was very grateful and excited that the iEPC team saw my potential and identified ways in which I could help them with their work during a 12-week internship.”

iEPC is involved in a wide range of engineering areas including mechanical, structural, civil, electrical and environmental engineering.

Mr Welch said: “It was a good opportunity to learn about all of those aspects of engineering while also getting to experience what it is like to work in the engineering world.

“The job was also in Bermuda, which made it appealing because I did not have to travel to Canada where most of the University of Waterloo co-op jobs are located. Relocating to Canada has been nearly impossible in the past year.”

The internship involves shadowing different engineers at iEPC and watching what they do and how they do it, in addition to helping out on projects, such as survey work and data analysis.

To date, Mr Welch’s work has included working with iEPC engineers on a variety of tasks from analysing emissions data, to surveying a building site, to cataloguing a registry of Belco tanks.

Mr Welch said he first became interested in engineering in grade 11, adding: “That was the point when I realised that I love building stuff and figuring out solutions to problems. Although, even before that, I loved figuring out how things worked and had always wanted to create.”

He added: “My ultimate career goal is to have a job that I really enjoy doing and allows me to help people. I hope to achieve that by becoming a professional engineer.”

At the end of the internship, Mr Welch will return to university for the spring term.

He said: “I feel like I will take a lot of skills and knowledge with me from this work term that will help with my studies and with future employment.

“I think the most surprising thing I have learned so far is how engineering is not just about designing something; it is also about budgeting, figuring out solutions and generally helping the client figure out what they want and need.”

Mr Welch provided advice to young people looking to enter the engineering field.

He said: “Work hard at your mathematics and core sciences like physics and chemistry. You’ll need them to get into an engineering university programme. Don’t give up – get help from teachers, tutors and study groups when you need to.

“Also, experiment. See what jobs and paths appeal to you by trying them. Every time you get a chance, try something new, so by the end of university you will know what you would want in your career.”

Michael Maugan, iEPC director of project management, said: “William has been a great addition to the team and is quick to learn and assist in many aspects of our work.

“Though his engineering studies are off to a somewhat difficult start due to Covid-19, I am sure he will succeed and excel as an engineer and look forward to assisting him during his studies and beyond.”

iEPC was established in 2012, and currently employs six full-time staff members, all of whom are registered professional engineers in Bermuda, and registered in either the United Kingdom, United States and/or Canada.

The company said its service offerings include due diligence services, full building evaluations, lease reviews and negotiations, indoor air quality, environmental and hazardous material assessments, community impact assessments, energy audits & sustainability assessments, heating, ventilation and air conditioning engineering, plumbing engineering, civil and structural engineering, environmental engineering, electrical engineering, fire protection engineering, project management and permitting services.

iEPC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of energy company Ascendant Group Ltd, which in turn is owned by Algonquin Power and Utilities Corp.